EXAGGERATED RISKS OR DANGEROUS DRIVING SPEEDS

Anti-speeding campaigns used by the Government give information regarding our speed and the chances of killing a pedestrian if we were travelling at that speed.

The governments Think! Campaign claims that if a pedestrian is hit by a car that is travelling at 30mph there is a 20% chance of them being killed. If a car is travelling at 40mph the chance of them dying increases to 80%.

However, the Department for Transport have suggested that these probabilities are not true, could it be that the government is using scare tactics to slow driver’s speeds.

Research has shown that the probability of a pedestrian being killed is more like 7% at speeds of 30mph and 31% at 40mph.

The government’s statistics are thought to be old, whereas current statistics include factors such as improved medical care and response times and newer and safer car designs.

Holly Harper of Britannia Driving School said: “No matter what the statistics are, 30mph speed limits are there to protect pedestrians. Could you live with yourself, if the person you hit was in the 31%, I know I couldn’t!”

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